Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Well, it has happened. The end has come. No more halycon summer days. Winter has reared her head, beautiful though it may be, and eaten away the last of the warmth.

Oh well.

I guess the snow is pretty.

(ahem. obviously we have hit the time of year that I do no particularly claim as my favorite)

Anyways.

So, here I sit with my second cup of coffee (why is it so much harder to get the ratio of coffee to cream right with the second cup?), listening to Rat Pack radio on Pandora. Grateful for today, as it is much better than yesterday, when I was taken down with an awful stomach bug (and no, that is not a coy way of mentioning morning sickness. it was definitely a bug!).

Anyways, I thought I should commemorate this first snow of the season with a brief update on what is happening in this happy* little household in the middle of the South Dakota prairie.

*happy = giggly, whiny, temper-tantrumy, snuggly, etc etc etc

Drew:

-He is 3 and an ultimate threenager. Sassy, saucy, and mouthy. But sweet, funny, and smart!
-Started Head Start this fall, which means we have an awesome teacher come to our house once a week to teach him one on one (which, really is two on one, because of course Will wants to learn too!), and then he gets to go play with the other kiddos twice a month. He LOVES it all.
-Also started Sunday School, which is the highlight of his week next to preschool.
-Has quite an imagination. He has started setting up all these different scenarios, and he converses with all sorts of people that only he can see. Sometimes it comes across a bit Gollum-ish as he takes different sides to the same debate, but it's cute!
-Is very helpful, often running to get stuff for sister for me.
-Loves all things farming, including moving bales with the tractor (in real life and in pretend play) and cows (milking them with daddy and grandpa, etc), and talking about Grandma B's horses and donkeys. Also, watching movies.
-Is still small, but has managed to stay on the charts for the past year or so, so we are down to just every 6 month check-ups. Still super picky, and mostly lives on chocolate milk and peanut butter and meat.
-Is mostly potty trained!
-Has entered the questioning/'why' stage of life, much to the chagrin of his parents. One of his favorite questions to ask lately is 'are you SURE you want to keep that baby?' in reference to his baby sister (the answer is yes, yes I am sure buddy).

Will:

-He is 2 and showing it in every way! Independence-seeking, vocab increasing, wanting his own way getting.
-Slightly quirky, and I love it! Often is found with socks on his hands, or boots over his footie pajamas, or wearing a helmet in the car.
-Gets his way a bit too often with a flash of his big blue eyes and his heart-melting smile.
-Loves loves loves tractors, cows, Curious George, daddy, and grandpa.
-Mostly easy-going and will often go along with what Drew tells him to do. But has plenty of stubbornness and will dig in his heels when he wants to.
-Lives in his own little world of being a tractor, often picking up 'bales' (wooden blocks) and moving them around the house using his hands as the gear shift and the bucket.
-Has such a fun way of speaking ('tupper time!' for supper time, 'by turn' for my turn, 'bove you' for love you, 'haymers' for Sammers, our cat)

Lucy:

-She is 6 months old, no matter how much we try to deny it.
-Is ready to start eating real food, if the way she watches us like a hawk while we eat is any indication.
-Rolls all over the living room, playing with whatever toy meets her fancy.
-Is still a bit shaky on the whole sitting thing, but she's getting it!
-Is a pretty chill baby, unless she's tired. But she will just play and play and watch her brothers for hours. It's lovely.
-Loves her brothers and find them endlessly amusing, especially when they are throwing fits because then they're dynamic.
-Is our most talky baby, often cooing and growling. Will definitely put her brothers in their place if they need it!
-Still a mama's girl, but she loves her daddy and lights up when he comes in the room.
-Won't take a bottle, so she gets to spend most of her time with mommy.

-Luke is busy busy busy with his full time job, raising pheasants for a local preserve, and working for a neighbor.
-I am busy with managing my childrens' schedules. I also am a member of the Policy Council for Head Start, which involves several meetings a month.
-We also are blessed with family, friends and a community that gets us out and about on a regular basis. We are not ones to thrive on busyness, but it seems to find us anyways.
-We have also become those people that marvel at how fast time is passing, and how fast our children are growing.

Well, it has happened. The end has come. No more halycon summer days. Winter has reared her head, beautiful though it may be, and eaten away the last of the warmth.

Oh well.

I guess the snow is pretty.

(ahem. obviously we have hit the time of year that I do no particularly claim as my favorite)

Anyways.

So, here I sit with my second cup of coffee (why is it so much harder to get the ratio of coffee to cream right with the second cup?), listening to Rat Pack radio on Pandora. Grateful for today, as it is much better than yesterday, when I was taken down with an awful stomach bug (and no, that is not a coy way of mentioning morning sickness. it was definitely a bug!).

Anyways, I thought I should commemorate this first snow of the season with a brief update on what is happening in this happy* little household in the middle of the South Dakota prairie.

*happy = giggly, whiny, temper-tantrumy, snuggly, etc etc etc

Drew:

-He is 3 and an ultimate threenager. Sassy, saucy, and mouthy. But sweet, funny, and smart!
-Started Head Start this fall, which means we have an awesome teacher come to our house once a week to teach him one on one (which, really is two on one, because of course Will wants to learn too!), and then he gets to go play with the other kiddos twice a month. He LOVES it all.
-Also started Sunday School, which is the highlight of his week next to preschool.
-Has quite an imagination. He has started setting up all these different scenarios, and he converses with all sorts of people that only he can see. Sometimes it comes across a bit Gollum-ish as he takes different sides to the same debate, but it's cute!
-Is very helpful, often running to get stuff for sister for me.
-Loves all things farming, including moving bales with the tractor (in real life and in pretend play) and cows (milking them with daddy and grandpa, etc), and talking about Grandma B's horses and donkeys. Also, watching movies.
-Is still small, but has managed to stay on the charts for the past year or so, so we are down to just every 6 month check-ups. Still super picky, and mostly lives on chocolate milk and peanut butter and meat.
-Is mostly potty trained!
-Has entered the questioning/'why' stage of life, much to the chagrin of his parents. One of his favorite questions to ask lately is 'are you SURE you want to keep that baby?' in reference to his baby sister (the answer is yes, yes I am sure buddy).

Will:

-He is 2 and showing it in every way! Independence-seeking, vocab increasing, wanting his own way getting.
-Slightly quirky, and I love it! Often is found with socks on his hands, or boots over his footie pajamas, or wearing a helmet in the car.
-Gets his way a bit too often with a flash of his big blue eyes and his heart-melting smile.
-Loves loves loves tractors, cows, Curious George, daddy, and grandpa.
-Mostly easy-going and will often go along with what Drew tells him to do. But has plenty of stubbornness and will dig in his heels when he wants to.
-Lives in his own little world of being a tractor, often picking up 'bales' (wooden blocks) and moving them around the house using his hands as the gear shift and the bucket.
-Has such a fun way of speaking ('tupper time!' for supper time, 'by turn' for my turn, 'bove you' for love you, 'haymers' for Sammers, our cat)

Lucy:

-She is 6 months old, no matter how much we try to deny it.
-Is ready to start eating real food, if the way she watches us like a hawk while we eat is any indication.
-Rolls all over the living room, playing with whatever toy meets her fancy.
-Is still a bit shaky on the whole sitting thing, but she's getting it!
-Is a pretty chill baby, unless she's tired. But she will just play and play and watch her brothers for hours. It's lovely.
-Loves her brothers and find them endlessly amusing, especially when they are throwing fits because then they're dynamic.
-Is our most talky baby, often cooing and growling. Will definitely put her brothers in their place if they need it!
-Still a mama's girl, but she loves her daddy and lights up when he comes in the room.
-Won't take a bottle, so she gets to spend most of her time with mommy.

-Luke is busy busy busy with his full time job, raising pheasants for a local preserve, and working for a neighbor.
-I am busy with managing my childrens' schedules. I also am a member of the Policy Council for Head Start, which involves several meetings a month.
-We also are blessed with family, friends and a community that gets us out and about on a regular basis. We are not ones to thrive on busyness, but it seems to find us anyways.
-We have also become those people that marvel at how fast time is passing, and how fast our children are growing.

About Me

My name is Rachel, but you can call me rachieannie.
I am a very happily married women in my late 20's who is the mama to two sweet, kissable boys.
I am a total hermit, and often stay home for days at a time. I have a thing for TV shows, but I always come back to the best for comfort: Gilmore Girls, Friends, and Veronica Mars. I pretend to be a crafter, but often bite off projects that are bigger than I can chew. Social media is my link to the outside world and I am a fan.
Our little family lives in South Dakota, where my husband grew up in a dairy farming family. I grew up one state over in Minnesota, in the middle of lake country, on a beef farm. To say that we are country kids is putting us mildly. We tried city living, but had to give it up. We are prairie-seeking fanatics. It is beauty to our souls when we can see for miles. I just wish that the builders of Target also saw the beauty in the prairie and would build one closer to us.
This is my space to talk to y'all. Mostly about my kiddos, sometimes about my craftiness or the books that I read. There are times where I have lots to say, and others when I have lost my words. But, in the end, I'll always come back.